I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

... Is this woman really human?

Are they really going to humiliate him just because of his appetite?

Jiu Ba's face darkened, he shook off Binai's hand, grabbed a pile of food with both hands, and without even using cutlery, he lowered his head and started swallowing.

Everyone else in the restaurant stared in disbelief at the two gluttons' eating display. The food that followed couldn't keep up with the speed at which they ate. The dishes were snatched up as soon as the waiter brought them to the table, and were already clean as if they had just been washed before the plates were even properly placed.

As soon as Binai my card to pay the bill and walked out of the store, the person washing dishes in the kitchen saw a waiter pushing in a cart full of plates and bowls and knelt down on the ground.

They ate from afternoon until evening, and the sun was almost setting before the two of them finally walked together on the road bathed in the twilight.

Ku repeatedly checked Binai's stomach, which looked exactly as flat as before. Ku had also seen Hina eat the food with her own eyes, which made her wonder where all the food she ate went.

"Oh, this is so much fun." Binai, still smiling as she hugged a bunch of plush toys, walked with light steps. "It's been a long time since I've been able to go shopping and eat with people so happily. The captain and the others either don't like to go shopping with me, or they don't like to eat with me."

That's normal, isn't it? With your abnormal thought process and terrifyingly large stomach, no normal person would want to be with you, right?

Jiu found herself numb to Binai's various abnormalities and couldn't help but sigh sadly at the situation.

"Little kitty, you're the first person who can eat to my heart's content with me. Before, the captain finally managed to eat with me, but he stopped me before I was even half full."

Binai shook his head as he said this.

"But the next holiday won't be until next month. Ugh, this job is really tiring, and there's no social insurance or housing fund."

Without glancing to the side, Jiu asked calmly, "What do you do for a living?"

Binai tossed the puppet into the air, striking a transformation pose reminiscent of a tokusatsu (special effects) show. "Defend world peace!"

Ku silently caught most of the dolls, Binai caught the rest one by one. Despite the large number of dolls, not a single one fell to the ground.

Others might have thought Binai was joking, but Ku knew she was telling the truth. It was just a pity that danger was right in front of her, and they had just had a meal together.

"I'm leaving." Ku put the doll in Binai's hands and turned to leave.

He originally planned to escape from Coral Island directly, but after eating his fill, he changed his mind and decided to go to the hotel to continue monitoring Lin's movements.

The moment she took a step, she felt the Valkyrie's superhuman strength on the back of her neck. "No, how can a cat run away from home?"

"..."

I'm used to it.

With a blank expression, Jiu was dragged back to Binai's house by the scruff of her neck.

"Mr. Agitana, Ms. Ryan, please wait a moment."

When Lin and Bronya returned to the hotel after finishing their noodles, they were stopped by the receptionist. They stopped, and the same expressionless face sent chills down their spines. The receptionist, sweating profusely, gave them a polite but stiff smile, "The police officers from the Public Security Bureau regularly conduct checks on tourists entering Coral Island. You two weren't here just now, so I asked them to wait for you upstairs. Don't worry, it's just a simple statement."

"..."

"..."

They had anticipated the outcome of the visit, but the unexpected coincidence of the timing was something they hadn't expected.

Lin nodded to the waiter, then took the elevator with Bronya.

Lin and Bronya had exchanged statements beforehand and were able to handle most situations. It was just a simple visit, and there shouldn't be any unexpected problems.

Upon arriving at their floor, two uniformed police officers were already waiting at the door. After seeing them and checking the information in their hands, they knew that these were the people they were supposed to interview.

"Um... Mr. Agitana and Ms. Ryan, right? We are members of the Coral Island Residential Area Public Security Bureau. Don't be nervous, it's just a routine check on travelers entering Coral Island, and it will be over soon."

Lin invited them into the room. Bronya poured water for them like a wife, but they waved their hands and said no. Then Lin took out his identification and chatted with them for a few minutes. He answered every question smoothly, and they were very relaxed. The conversation ended in a few minutes.

"That's enough for now. Sorry to bother you. Have a great time on Coral Island." The younger officer reviewed the statement in his hand again, smiled politely at the two of them, and then got up to leave.

"... I have a question."

Another officer, who seemed nonchalant and doing nothing but pacing around the room, suddenly spoke up.

"You're a newlywed couple... why did you book two rooms?"

"Before we got married, we always had our own rooms and only slept in the same bed at night. We haven't fully gotten used to it yet after marriage," Lin replied fluently, having expected someone to ask this question.

"I see. Alright, then I won't bother you two any longer." The experienced officer nodded, walked out the door with the younger officer, and closed the door behind them.

"Clatter."

After closing the door, Lin exhaled and said to Bronya, who was tilting her head in thought, "Rest."

"...No, that officer found something." Bronya said in a emotionless voice, "He'll probably check the CCTV footage from last night and find out that we didn't actually sleep together."

The person who was walking around the room just now was observing. He may have figured something out. After all, Lin and the others are wealthy, but their lifestyles are completely different from those of other wealthy people. Even if they try their best to disguise themselves, they may have left some clues.

"That's what I think too," Lin said.

"Hmm? Then you..."

Bronya stopped mid-sentence, silently looking at Lin, then turned to look at the only bed in the room.

Then, she turned around and met Lin's strange gaze.

The lingering heat in the bathroom slightly raised the room temperature.

"That couple is a bit strange. They're clearly newlyweds, but they seem a bit distant, and they don't look very happy." As the two were going down in the elevator, the experienced police officer said, "They even booked two rooms. That explanation doesn't hold water."

The young officer's expression brightened. "Senior, you mean..."

"What I mean is... it must be an arranged marriage! The two are definitely children from two powerful families, marrying someone they don't like, which is why they're unhappy. Besides, they're rich, so booking two rooms wouldn't be a problem at all." The seasoned police officer waved his hand and laughed.

"Huh? I thought you were going to say..."

"What? Those two are highly suspicious? Sigh, don't be so paranoid. Where do you get so many suspicious people? You're reading a novel." The seasoned police officer stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. "If you're so suspicious, are you even going to get any sleep tonight? Hurry up and get going, there are still a few people left. Let's finish this and go get some late-night snacks."

"Oh..."

The young police officer stared blankly at the statement in his hand, then followed.

Coral's "Twist": Chapter Forty-Four - Sleepless Nights

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat somber.

Of course, it's possible that Bronya was just feeling a bit down. She went back into the bathroom, completely oblivious, and washed the areas she hadn't cleaned before. Listening to the rushing water, she couldn't calm down for some reason.

After a quick cleaning, Lin dressed and came out. His neat and tidy appearance relieved Bronya.

However, the steam wafting from the bathroom carried a faint, indescribable fragrance, prompting Bronya to involuntarily ask, "Did you put perfume on your bath?"

Lin, who was making the bed, glanced at her and said, "No."

Where does this flavor come from...?

Lin put the bedding on the floor, changed into a new set, and after smoothing out the wrinkles, looked up and saw Bronya still standing there in a daze. She asked, "Aren't you going to take a shower?"

"I washed up before I left the house."

Lie.

Bronya hadn't even taken off her clothes yet, so how could she have already taken a shower? However, she was a little hesitant to enter the bathroom at that moment. The scent was like a magic potion, making her feel irritated and restless. She was afraid that if she went in and was enveloped by the fragrance, something strange would happen.

Lin nodded, then spread out the bedding on the floor and said to her, "You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Um."

A fairly standard allocation is enough to get by for one night.

The two lay down on the bed without taking off their clothes, turned off the lights, and for a moment there was only the sound of breathing.

Strangely enough, the fragrance didn't fade; instead, it became even stronger.

Bronya's petite frame was far too small for a double bed; she could easily roll around on it. In the pitch-black room, a faint fragrance lingered in the air, and the soft rustling of Lin's clothes and blankets could be heard nearby.

Why... was her attention so highly focused?

Bronya has a way of falling asleep quickly so she can replenish her energy on the battlefield, but now the scent is stimulating her nerves and she's not sleepy at all.

She finally realized that the smell wasn't coming from the bathroom, but rather from someone's own body, which was released by the steam from the hot water during a shower.

Unable to sleep, Bronya could only try to distract herself by thinking about things. Her eyes were unfocused as she recalled Seele's strange behavior recently.

Before the Herrscher of Domination caused chaos, Seele had shown some unusual behavior. For example, although she often ate with her, she would disappear outside of mealtimes. On several occasions, she saw Seele appear next to Lin, and the smile on her face made her feel somewhat unfamiliar.

She had been avoiding that possibility, but now she had to confront the suspicions in her heart.

Seele wouldn't...

"Was your mechanical doll created by the power of the Herrscher of Reason?"

The voice from the darkness interrupted Bronya's thoughts. She looked at the ceiling and calmly replied, "That was from Seele."

"..."

An eerie silence fell again; no one knew what they were thinking on the other end.

"Can't you sleep?" Bronya was startled by Lin's words. She turned her head on the pillow and saw something moving in the darkness.

For some reason, Bronya swallowed nervously. "You can't sleep either?"

"I'm reminded of a place from the past."

"Where?"

"A place specifically used to imprison prisoners, monsters, and heroes."

"Why..."

Why are heroes, criminals, and monsters locked up together?

Bronya had intended to ask that, but then she thought of Schicksal.

... Maybe there's nothing new about it.

"There is no light there. All the prisoners live in eternal darkness. In the deepest part of that place, there is a companion of mine. She is the only one who voluntarily stayed in that prison."

"She comes out occasionally, but spends most of her time there watching over other prisoners and purifying their souls, and I visit her often."

Bronya's brow twitched, and she asked instinctively, "Is your friend a woman?"

"Yes."

... Why don't I feel surprised at all?

Bronya continued to stare at the ceiling, imagining a person forever kneeling in a bottomless, darker prison than they were now, quietly waiting for Lin to arrive someday.

It's like a ghost story, and also like a fairy tale.

"Every time I went to see her, she would let me rest at her place. When I couldn't fall asleep, she would use some little tricks to help me fall asleep."

"Smack."

The lights suddenly came on, Bronya looked up in surprise. She saw Lin holding a box of cotton swabs in his right hand and asked, "Want to try some?"

Previously, when Lin lost his senses, Aponia would use ear cleaning to give him ear massages, which would make him feel relaxed even without the sense of touch.

Lin did this on a whim, as there was nothing urgent at the moment, while Bronya seemed a little uneasy.

He poured a cup of hot water and placed it beside him. Then, he dipped a cotton swab in the hot water and wiped away the excess moisture with a tissue. Next, he moved the girl's head, which was lying on its side, onto his lap and gently massaged her small, delicate ear canal with the cotton swab.

Bronya's ears were clean, with some fine downy hairs almost transparent. He ran a warm cotton swab around them and then used the dry part to wipe away the water stains.

With gentle movements and soft sounds, Lin was fully focused on the task, while Bronya's face, turned outwards, seemed somewhat relaxed as the ear massage proceeded methodically in the silent room.

He rubbed her small earlobe, leaned down and blew a breath into her ear. The girl's body trembled, and she turned her head in surprise to look at the dark eyes so close to hers.

"What's wrong?"

"Did your friend do that too?"

"Yes."

"..."

Bronya's face showed no abnormality; she turned her head inward and switched to the other ear.

Lin repeated his previous actions, recalling Aponia's gentle touch, and gradually lost track of time.

When he came to his senses, the light gray-haired girl had already fallen into a deep sleep with her head on his lap.

Lin breathed a sigh of relief, put down the cotton swab, and looked up at the white ceiling.

They are not the ones who created the new era, but they are partly responsible for preventing it.